Rise Of The Mali Empire Essay Example

After the death of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, the Islamic world split into Calphiates and other Empires.  One of these Empires was the Mali Empire, led by Mansa Musa, one of the richest people to have ever lived.  There were a variety of factors that led to his hajj in 1324.  One of the main factors that allowed him to go on this journey was his wealth.  He was very rich because he controlled a lot of gold and salt mines.  These salt mines were very important because people relied on them for medicine.  Another major factor that allowed him to go on this hajj was his becoming the ruler of Mali which allowed him to command thousands of people to assist him on his large journey.  Finally, the main factor that led to this hajj was Islam. 

Muslims follow the 5 pillars of Islam and one of these pillars is to complete a pilgrimage to Mecca.  If Mansa Musa wasn’t a Muslim, this historical event would never have started.  This event first started in Mali, West Africa, and ended in Mecca, modern-day Saudi Arabia.  This journey led them through the Sahara desert which further lengthened the time of the journey because of the harsh conditions of the desert.  In addition, during this period of history, modern-day transportation methods such as cars and airplanes didn’t exist, further lengthening the journey.  Based on this event in history, this suggests that Islam was spreading rapidly across Arabia and Western Africa. 

In addition, because of how wealthy Mansa Musa and the Mali Empire were, they could have been going through a golden age which further strengthened their civilization.  We can infer that the world was becoming more interconnected because news of his wealth while on the journey spread and scholars were heading to Mali to learn more about Islam and share their ideas.  To summarize, Mansa Musa was able to use his wealth and connections to complete his hajj and put Mali on the map.